Dehradun (Uttarakhand): Two of the recent reports by eight central institutes over the land sinking in Uttarakhand's Joshimath have given a clean chit to a tunnel part of the NTPC hydel project in Chamoli district, sources said. It is learnt that the Geological Survey of India (GSI) and National Institute of Hydrology (NIH) have given a clean chit to the NTPC’s 520 MW Tapovan-Vishnugad hydel project on the Alaknanda river in Chamoli district.
The reports over the Joshimath land sinking in January this year were released by the Wadia Institute of Himalayan Geology, IIT Roorkee, NGRI Hyderabad, National Hydrology Institute, Geological Survey of India, Central Ground Water Board, Indian Institute of Remote Sensing and Central Forest Research Institute.
As per the GSI and NIH reports, the damages due to the blasts inside the tunnel were unlikely to have caused the land sinking. As per the NIH report, the burst of the aquifer at Jaypee colony may have been caused by the blockage of a sub-surface channel. Likewise, the GSI report also also said that blast-induced damages from the hydel project were unlikely.
Also read: NDMA releases report over Joshimath land sinking
The reports by the eight central institutes have attributed the land sinking to the haphazard constructions in the town with lack of drainage system in the area only compounding the damage. From water leakage to land erosion from Alaknanda River, the cracks in Joshimath increased, the reports said. The NDMA report over the land sinking has divided the affected houses into four zones.
The report was made public after the intervention of Nainital High Court.
Geologists raise doubts on NTPC tunnel clean chit: Locals and experts have questioned the credibility of the two reports giving clean chit to the NTPC tunnel. Geologist Prof SP Sati, who has previously studied the landslides in Joshimath, said that the report can be doubted, but it is also true that finding out the role of the tunnel in this whole matter is not an easy task.
“It is certain that even if the tunnel has no direct role to play, the punctures and blasting of various water sources during its construction must have definitely had an impact on these cracks,” he added.
Joshimath Bachao Sangharsh Samiti raises questions: Atul Sati, spearheading the Joshimath Bachao Sangharsh Samiti also expressed doubt on the report. He said that he has not received the report yet. “The question that arises is that after all, GSI had mentioned the damage caused by the project in 2005 during its construction. Why is GSI's report different from this now?” he questioned.
